Page 19 of A Wallflower's Wassail Punch
She wanted to say no.She wanted to ride at a gallop, the wind in her face, with only this delicious man at her side.Her heart screamed,Go away.Her brain reminded her of her father and propriety.“Yes, please, follow behind us.”
The viscount looked pointedly at her saddle, then cocked his head with a smirk.“Do you often reject the side saddle or only when you’re in the country?”
“Does it matter?”she tossed back.
“Not in the least.Just getting to know you.”His gaze traveled the length of her riding habit, coming back to the high, fitted waist, then lingering on her lips before their eyes locked.
It was thrilling to be near this man.Her thoughts were always whirling when he was about, her stomach flipping like it had when she was a girl and had gone too high on the swing.Frightening but ever so exciting.She felt daring around Lord Weston and sensed he encouraged her.
“I’m a proper lady when riding with those outside my family,” she told him as he helped her mount her horse.
They did gallop side by side, laughing and racing and putting a good distance between them and the poor stable boy.Still, her small dapple-gray mare had no chance against the huge obsidian beast.There was a hedge near the end of the run.Annette had grinned at the viscount and cued Domino with a kick, taking the hedge in one smooth leap.They met on the other side, dragging in great breaths of cold air, little clouds of their breath floating between them.Lord Weston had won the race, of course, but she’d held her own.
“You have an excellent seat,” the viscount complimented.“I was a bit worried about that jump, but you handled your horse with skill.”
“Thank you, my lord.My brothers taught me to ride as a child.I believe I was all of three when they first tied me to a saddle.”She laughed at his horrified look.“My feet couldn’t reach the stirrups, so they had to devise a way to keep me secure.”
“They could have put you in front of them,” said Lord Weston.
“Oh, they’d been doing that since I was a babe.By three, I was demanding to ride alone.”
“Of course you were,” he teased.“Shall we head back?”
When she nodded, he motioned to the stable boy to return.“I take it your father doesn’t like you riding alone?”
Annette shook her head.“Papa believes I’m safe enough on foot.But he worries I could have an accident and be left injured, without any way to send for help.He’s right, of course.”
“He loves you very much.”
“He loves all his children.I’m glad he has found happiness with Lady Henney.”She glanced sideways at him.“Papa has been lonely for a long time.But of course, I’m sure you understand how he feels.”
There was a long pause before he answered, “When we lost Aggie, I vowed to raise Phoebe with as much love as two parents.I did consider a wife at first, someone with the maternal instincts I lacked.But Agnes’s sister swooped in like an angel sent from heaven.She had lost her husband a few years earlier and had no intention of marrying again.”He chuckled.“There are sisters—or sisters-in-law—that are not spiteful, bitter old hens.She was a godsend and helped fill the void for Phoebe that her mother had left.”
“They are close, then?”Annette asked.
“Very.She sponsored Phoebe for her first Season.Phoebe is with her in London now, acting as chaperone while she spends Christmastide with her fiancé.”His deep-brown eyes studied her.“Did you have a female in your life to help with the loss of your mother?”
Annette shook her head, remembering the struggle to find one.“Mama died when I was ten.My father hired governess after governess, and my brothers sent each one running for the portico.I studied with their tutor instead.When did your wife die?”
“Over ten years ago, giving birth to our son.Phoebe was onlyeight.”He rubbed his chin, as if deciding his next words.“How long has your father been wooing Lady Henney?”
“Since my first Season.Papa had been confident that I would be betrothed by spring, and he began pursuing the viscountess.”She chuckled, but the memory was bittersweet, considering how long the two had been courting.“Poor lady had no idea how long the courtship would last.Five years later, she’s still waiting.”
“Why?What is the obstacle?”
“Me.Lady Henney thought it best to wait until I was married.But by the end of my second Season, it was obvious…”
“That the men in Town were fools?”he asked with a grin.
“Yes,” she agreed, grinning back.How did he manage to make an unpleasant memory seem not so devastating?Or make her feel as if none of it had been her fault?“I fled to our Suffolk estate, vowing never to return.Lady Henney lives on a neighboring estate—it’s how they knew each other—and followed Papa to the country.They worry if I don’t marry before they are settled, I never will.”
“Are they right?”
She nodded.“Probably.You saw what happened last night.”
“That man’s spine was made of pudding.He wasn’t good enough for you.”
Her pulse raced.Was he jealous?Don’t be a goose!“Thank you for saying that.I only hope the next few days will not be a repeat of the last.”
